Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Resilient Agroecosystems in a Changing Climate Challenge Area | USDA NIFA AFRI 006353

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 006353

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Resilient Agroecosystems in a Changing Climate Challenge Area is a competitive grant opportunity from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) focused on helping US agriculture and forest systems cope with climate variability and long-term climate change. The program is designed to fund work that helps farming, ranching, and forest land management adapt to current and future conditions, including more frequent or severe droughts and other extreme events. At its core, the opportunity targets practical, science-based solutions that can sustain or increase productivity while also protecting natural resources and environmental quality.

The central purpose of the challenge area is to support projects that improve resilience across agroecosystems and managed forest lands. NIFA highlights several connected outcomes: maintaining or boosting production under changing climate conditions; using soil and water resources more efficiently; and improving soil, water, and air conditions rather than degrading them. The opportunity is framed around the reality that land managers are already dealing with more variable weather, especially water-related stressors such as more intense drought and flood patterns, along with a lengthening growing season that has been observed over recent decades. The expectation is that funded research and related activities will translate into on-the-ground improvements, such as better management systems (for example, strategies for irrigation efficiency, soil moisture conservation, nutrient management, or risk-reducing cropping practices) and improved crop varieties better suited to a more variable environment.

A key long-term goal is to reduce the environmental footprint of the food and agriculture system while still supporting a productive and economically viable supply of food, feed, fiber, and fuel. In other words, resilience is not treated as a narrow yield-stability issue; it is tied to broader sustainability outcomes such as conserving water, protecting soils, and improving overall environmental conditions. Projects under this challenge area are therefore expected to connect climate adaptation with resource stewardship, and to produce results that can inform decision-making by producers, land managers, and related stakeholders.

This opportunity is offered as a discretionary grant program under CFDA 10.310. The funding opportunity number is USDA NIFA AFRI 006353, and the funding instrument is a grant. The posted award ceiling is $1,200,000 per award. The original closing date listed for applications was July 13, 2017, and the opportunity record was created on April 17, 2017. While the listing notes the expected awards field without a specific number, applicants should typically consult the full Request for Applications (RFA) for program area allocations, target numbers of awards (if provided), and any additional budget guidance.

Eligibility is emphasized as a critical compliance point. Applications can only be submitted by entities that meet the eligibility rules, and those rules depend on the specific project type. The full range of project types and their eligibility requirements are described in the RFA (referenced as beginning in Part II, C). Applicants must also directly address the program area priorities and meet the deadlines laid out in the RFA. The notice also makes clear that failing to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline can cause an application to be excluded from consideration, or even if reviewed, can prevent NIFA from making an award. At the same time, award recipients are allowed to subcontract to organizations that are not themselves eligible to apply, as long as those subcontractors are necessary to carry out the work.

Overall, this grant opportunity is aimed at advancing research and associated efforts that help agricultural and forest systems remain productive under climate stress, with strong emphasis on water and soil resource efficiency, adaptation to extreme events and variability, and improved environmental outcomes. The strongest proposals are typically those that align tightly with the specified program priorities in the RFA, demonstrate clear pathways from research to usable outcomes for land managers, and show how the work will reduce risk and environmental impacts while sustaining production in a changing climate.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Resilient Agroecosystems in a Changing Climate Challenge Area" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-04-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-07-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 006353

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: